Importance of a college diploma in today's job market

There was once a time when having a college diploma was enough to land somebody work in today's job market. Those days seem to be gone. Just ask Thelma Morales who graduated with a degree in social sciences. Unfortunately for Thelma just 10% of employers are hiring graduates with her degree according to a recent study.

Like so many people before her, she will most likely have to return to college and focus on a field of study that is more in demand.

As employees today are looking for specific degrees of study for their request college graduates, having the right college degree can help give you the edge in today's job market.

Is a College Diploma in the job market a requirement?

Although Thelma's story makes it sound like she is blocked from having any career opportunities with her degree, that is not necessary true. To this day, a college graduate - regardless of their degree type - can earn almost twice as much and have double the opportunities for employment than somebody with a high school education.

Still, when applying for opportunities, the type of degree you have from a college or university will only increase the number of jobs available due to supply and demand.

What college degrees will give me the edge in today's job market?

A study by theÂ National Association of Colleges and Employers took into consideration student applicants whose degree lead them to at least one job offer. Topping off the list were candidates that had degrees in "computer sciences" with 68.7% getting offers, followed by "economics" at 61.5% and "accounting" at 61.2%. What this study showed was that college graduates who had earned a degree in "computer sciences," for instance, had over a 68% chance of landing a job offer from the company they were interviewing with.

Others on the list included those with "engineering" degrees that had a 59% chance or landing a job and "business administration" at just under 54%.

It should be no surprise that two of the degrees we mentioned here for desirability also made our list of the top 3 best paying college degrees. This is because the more a degree is desired, the more a company will pay to land candidates that have those types of degrees.

What if my college degree is not in demand by employers?

When it comes to hiring job candidates, certain businesses will always be in demand for candidates that have earned specific degrees. Yet that isn't the only decision that comes into consideration when choosing job applicants. Consider skill sets such as the ability to work as a team, the ability to solve problems, the ability to communicate, the ability analyze data, etc. All of these things are skills that one might learn in college while attempting to earn a degree.

This brings us back to the point that we made earlier about how almost twice as many people with a college degree are able to find jobs over those with high school degrees only. This is because there is true value and a real demand in having a diploma from a college, regardless of the degree and major printed on it.